When my boyfriend first started trying a vegetarian diet, he ended up stopping and going back to eating meat, because his stomach was constantly hurting. He would have gas all day long, and it would really hurt him. He says he feels it up to his chest, and no medicines or anything helps. I have him trying vegan diet for 30 days, and its day 5 and the same thing is happening. It is not just a bit more gas, but more the painful kind, making him not even want to leave the house.

He is miserable, saying he feels dizzy now on top of it. I really want to see him succeed at eating this way, but we are having trouble. I don't think its a gluten sensitivity or anything because he eats a lot of pasta and such on a meat eating diet.

I say skip the shakes for now. I know they give me killer gas,I just don't care! Ha! But that's quite the jump in for all the iissues he is having. Try a slow transition instead of all in,and,stop the shakes.

What were his reasons for going vegetarian/vegan? Was it his own idea or was he following the advice of, or seeking to please, someone else? Is he completely behind his own decision? If so, is he ready to leave his old life behind so abruptly? Anxiety's top ten list of symptoms includes gas. A greater feeling of control would make his transition smooth. Perhaps he could set up his own schedule of assimilation wherein he makes a few changes here and there over time, monitoring how he feels, and noting his health as he goes.

Make sure he is CHEWING well, because most new vegans aren't used to having to chew quite as much as they should! Also try to take it easy on high fiber foods such as uncooked veggies and beans. Most omnivore's stomachs aren't used to the large influx of fiber, and they respond by being grumpy.

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Thanks for the responses! Baby Hercules- His reasons are animal cruelty and overall health and well being. It was his idea, but on my part there was a lot of encouragement. He was vegetarian for a few years a while back. He is ready to leave his old life behind, yet has some hesitations. Will take things slow, and see how it goes Today seems to be a lot better for him, so that is a plus. He has been getting a lot of good information from this site, so he feels even better about doing it.

Thanks for the responses! Baby Hercules- His reasons are animal cruelty and overall health and well being. It was his idea, but on my part there was a lot of encouragement. He was vegetarian for a few years a while back. He is ready to leave his old life behind, yet has some hesitations. Will take things slow, and see how it goes Today seems to be a lot better for him, so that is a plus. He has been getting a lot of good information from this site, so he feels even better about doing it.

That's awesome, Haylee. Tell him that it's perfectly normal to transition into new things slowly, especially as regards the body, and that he's not alone. Humans ain't designed to dive into a new lifestyle overnight but they ARE smart enough to adapt to just about anything over time. Let us know who he is on here (if he doesn't have an account yet, by all means, light a fire under him and sign him up!) and tell him to post an introduction. We're lucky to have you both.

I'm a vegetarian. My body doesn't react well to excess fibre. I always found it hard to understand how the raw vegans deal with it. It might be worth going to the Doctor just to get a professional opinion on the matter. Last year I went through a major period of stomah/digestative issues which was very debilitating. Something advice I recieved this year is to only drink a half an hour before eating, and only drink two hours after eating. I've been following this, and personally I think I have had a lot of success with it.

I always try and tell folks to start with one meal and move the transition slowly. Once you have the one meal down to a habit move to the next meal. Depending on what i eat determines the gas levels,also mixing fruits and veggies is not always the best idea I have found in my experience,theres kind of a conflict going on in the stomach as far as absorbtion and digestion,could be related. Using some of the "meat" subs is a good idea ,again to make the transition easier and not so much a shock to the system.I prefer Gardien over most and boca's vegan burgers are a staple.Hope he continues to try and add more green goodness and less meat ,best of health to you both.Everett.

Yeah, do it bit by bit if he's got a strange reaction to something. I assume that when he tries a vegan or vegetarian dish, it's not just the same food as he would have been eating, except with no meat / dairy? Because that could be the first thing to try - just have him eat exactly what he normally eats, but without the animal products. That way there is literally no way it can be anything he is eating. Then you can introduce new foods one by one and see what it is causing this.

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